Israel Adesanya weighs up UFC future amid links to fighting return: ‘I know I’m on the back end of my career’
Linked with a return to the Octagon in the coming months in a bid to kickstart his 2024 season, Israel Adesanya has confirmed that while he expects to fight at least once this year, the City Kickboxing staple admits he’s likely coming towards the end of his combat sports run.
Adesanya, a former two-time undisputed middleweight champion, has been sidelined since UFC 293 last September, most recently suffering a one-sided unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland in a huge upset defeat in Syndey, Australia.
And in the immediate aftermath of that loss, Adesanya claimed he would remain sidelined from the sport until 2027 at the very earliest – leaving fans of his questioning his future in combat sports.
However, revealing recently how he was simply joking with a 2027 timeframe for a comeback, Adesanya claims he will fight in the near future.
Israel Adesanya weighs up fighting future
Divulging further information on his fighting comeback, Nigerian-Kiwi striker, Adesanya claims he will fight at least once this year, however, admitted his career is likely on the back end.
“That’s why I’m taking this time off,” Israel Adesanya said on his official YouTube channel during an interview with Teddy Atlas. “People were talking like I’m retiring or taking five years off. I’m like, ‘Chill, don’t worry.’ My time off is different to most people’s time off. People take two years off. I’m not doing that.”
“Like I said, four fights in 14 months,” Israel Adesanya explained. “I know I’m on the back end of my career. I know when I’m done with this, I’m going to miss it. So I was trying to do as much as I can., Then I realized it’s not about quantity, it’s about quality. I’m still going to enjoy this. When I fight, I know I’ll fight [in 2024]. I don’t know when I’m going to fight, but when I fight, it’s going to be quality, it’s not going to be quantity.”
In terms of potential opponents for a return, Adesanya has been widely linked with a massive trilogy rubber match with undisputed light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira this year – amid links to a massive outing on a monumental UFC 300 card in April.
Do you expect Israel Adesanya to fight Alex Pereira in his next UFC outing?
